Veggie Sushi Bagels with Wasabi Cashew Cheese

If a veggie sushi roll and a bagel got together and had a baby (don’t think about this too much or it gets weird), it would be this veggie sushi bagel. Topped with wasabi cashew cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, seaweed, and pickled carrots, you get the flavors of sushi without the hassle. Plus, bagels.
If a veggie sushi roll and a bagel got together and had a baby, it would be this veggie sushi bagel. Topped with wasabi cashew cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, seaweed, and pickled carrots, you get the flavors of sushi without the hassle.

One of the fun parts about going vegan this year has been discovering new ways of preparing foods. When I started making this change, I had no idea that when I eliminated dairy from my diet, I’d replace it with lots of coconut milk and nuts. Cashews, in particular, have been a revelation. I had snacked on them plenty, and probably had them in vegan dishes in restaurants without knowing it, but I didn’t realize how incredibly versatile they are! (This should probably be a sponsored post for cashews, but it’s not.)

If a veggie sushi roll and a bagel got together and had a baby, it would be this veggie sushi bagel. Topped with wasabi cashew cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, seaweed, and pickled carrots, you get the flavors of sushi without the hassle.

So far I’ve made cashew yogurt, various creamy sauces, and a couple of types of cheeses in addition to this cashew cream cheese. The only downfall of cashews is that for a lot of recipes, you have to plan ahead to use them, because soaking them overnight makes them a lot easier to work with. But a genius tip I read somewhere (I think it was Yes and Yes), is to soak cashews, drain them, and freeze them, and then you can just pour a bit of hot water over them to thaw them when you need them. So now I have pre-measured 1 cup and 2 cup portions of already-soaked cashews in my freezer, and it’s super useful.

Have you ever come across any cooking tips that made you ask “That’s so smart, why didn’t I know about this a long time ago??” If so, please share!

Veggie Sushi Bagels

Note: The cashew cream cheese requires pre-soaking of the cashews. If you don’t have time, you could always mix wasabi powder into a pre-made cream cheese. (And see my tip above for keeping pre-soaked cashews on hand.) The quick-pickled carrots also need some lead time, so plan ahead!

2 large bagels
Quick-pickled carrots (see below)
Wasabi vegan cashew cream cheese (see below)
Wakame dried seaweed, about 1/4 cup
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
Small red onion, sliced
Optional:
Chopped chives
Sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds, but regular ones would be good, too.)
Soy sauce

Parts of this recipe need to be prepped ahead of time, so in order from most to least amount of time, prepare the wasabi cashew cream cheese, then the quick-pickled carrots.

Place the dried seaweed in a bowl, cover with water, and soak for 5 minutes (follow the directions on your package). Drain in a sieve. Optionally, toss with a bit of soy sauce.

Toast the bagels, then spread each half with wasabi cashew cream cheese. Place cucumber and avocado slices on top of the cream cheese. Top with seaweed, quick-pickled carrots, and red onion, then sprinkle with chopped chives and sesame seeds.

Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice (1/2 – 1 lemon)

Place the cashews in a medium bowl and cover with water. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and leave to soak overnight in the refrigerator, or for at least 4 hours at room temperature.

Drain and rinse the cashews, then add them to a food processor with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Process until very smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides with a spatula. If the mixture is too thick, thin with 1 Tbsp water.

You can use it right away, but the cheese will firm up after about an hour in the fridge. Store covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.